hi olds friends, i wonder if somebody might be able to help me with my problem. i was driving down the highway (60mph) when the engine just died on me, i already changed the high voltage coil wires and plugs, and checked the fuel pump but still nothing, does anybody have a suggestion about what it could be ? please help me, i can't live without driving my baby daily. it's a 1967 cuttlass town sedan 330 2bbl
tnx Ricardo

is it making spark? Does the rotor rotate when the engine turns over? Have you verified presence of fuel at the carb?

no spark, i do have gas and the rotor turns to, but i don't know why no spark replaced high voltage coil and cables

And do the points open and close?

If so, pull the coil wire from the dist cap, hold it about ¼" from the closest ground, and have someone crank the engine. If you get a spark, replace the cap and rotor.

If not, adjust the points to .016" gap, or 30° dwell. If it still doesn't start, replace the points and condenser.

Norm

Hi Ricardo,

Are you using a breaker distributor, or HEI? I had a similar situation with a '75 Camaro (HEI). I was simply driving along and it simply died on me without warning and wouldn't start no matter what. After having my dad take a look he pointed to a small, near pin-size hole below the rotor nose (the 'tongue' insert of the rotor) that punctured right through the plastic in the middle of the rotor cavity. He simply put in a new rotor and it fired up without a problem.

Best to start at the beginning.

Using a test light or VOM, verify there is power at the + side of the coil. If so, check for a pulsating signal, at the - side, while the engine is being cranked. If not, continue with the above instructions.

Norm

Hi incog,

Welcome to TOC.


How old is your Dad?

Norm

my baby breath fire again tnx guys for all you're tips it was the points btw, just replaced them and now she's running perfect again, tnx again Ricardo

Hi Norm, my father is 51.

By the way, 67cutlass,

I'm not sure if you went ahead and did so, but when replacing points I've been told it's also a good idea to lubricate the distributor cam with a small amount of cam lube or white lithium grease to save the rubbing block. It may help from experiencing other ignition problems.

Thanks, that explains a lot.


Not just a good idea. When the block wears, the point gap closes. When the gap closes enough, the engine stops running. With no lube, it can happen in less than 20 miles.

Part of the normal (about 10,000 mi.) maintenance, is to open the gap in order to compensate for normal wear.


The proper lube should still come with the points. Dielectric grease is a good substitute.


Only the one I described above.

Norm